Walking Forward, Looking Back- Lessons from the World Trade

I admit that I am curiously and strongly drawn to all stories and photosabout September 11, 2001. I was one of those New Yorkers who knew peopleaffected directly by the tragedy, and at the time, I was compelled toconsume as much as I could emotionally handle in print and on television.Though two years later, I am still left hungering to know as much as I canabout this day, its survivors and its victims. There is a gnawing inside ofme, reminding me of the fact that this event is probably the most importantworld event I will ever know or experience, in my lifetime.John Labriola's book is a first person account of someone who worked onthe 71st Floor of Tower One and survived. An amateur photographer, Johnremarkably took his photos before, during and after the attacks.

The photos, the text and the eyewitness accounts interspersed throughoutthe book are eerily compelling. I read the book from start to finish in onesitting. The photos tell stories in and of themselves, some are sad, some are beautiful, but all of them are deemed important. For many the book willbe a reminder of a horrendous moment in time, but for me and for many othersit will be a comfort and a reassurance of hope, courage and goodness.The only thing I found distracting in the reading of the book was about adozen typos, which took away form the flow of the read and should have obviously been caught in the editing.